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“Yes, it will be perfect for hiding the entire top half of me.” She takes it from me before I can grab it back in mock offense.

I should step back, but my feet seem unwilling to do so. So, instead, I stay rooted right here, watching Sam’s arms and shoulders disappear into the sleeves. Her fingers easily roll the sleeves up, exposing first her wrists and then a little of her forearm. My eyes linger on the way the front of the shirt is open and draped over her. The sudden lack of movement catches my attention and her fingers are mid-sleeve-roll.

Something about this has my senses in overdrive. Her floral scent seems stronger and I catch a little lilac in it. And now I can’t wait for the lilac bushes on the ranch to bloom.

“I’m sorry, did I do something wrong?” Sam’s voice pulls me back into the present, my eyes finding hers immediately. Her brows are pinched and her mouth is in a tense line.

“What?” I ask, completely confused about what she’s referring to.

“The shirt, should I take it off?” Her hand is still on the sleeve.

I stare at her, dumbfounded and trying to catch up.

“I,” she hesitates. “I don’t have to wear it if it’s bothering you.”

That snaps me out of it. I was staring like a creep and she thought I didn’t like what I saw.

My expression softens and I cover her hand with both of mine, making one more fold in the sleeve.

“I’m sorry that you thought that.” My fingers make their way to hers, willing her to relax. “The truth is, I might ask you to wear one every damn day.”

A gorgeous blush fills her cheeks and she tips her face down. Drawing one hand up, her fingers still woven between mine, I place gentle pressure under her chin and lean down.

“No hiding,” I say, giving her a soft kiss. Her eyes are still closed when I pull back and she looks calm, like she’s not racing through lists and possibilities that I know run through her mind.

“It’s not my natural response, you know,” she says, her eyes on mine.

“Oh, I do.” She frees one hand and swats my chest as I chuckle. “But I also want you to understand that I want all of you. Not just what you let people see, but every little quirk and everything you consider to be a flaw. I want it all.”

“You might be asking for way more than you bargained for.” Her weight shifts from one foot to the next.

“You worried that I might scare easily, Samantha Davies?” I wrap my free hand around her waist and steady her against me.

“What makes you so confident that you’ll like everything about someone like me?” She says it lightly, but I don’t miss the ghost of a wince and the worry she can’t quite hide from her eyes.

“My last relationship ended about a year ago,” I say, my heart steady. “Things happened that really messed with me, but I also found a new outlook on dating. I’m not interested in something that’s not going to work and pretending that it might. What I want is someone whose good and bad can grow with mine. I’ve been paying attention for a while now and I’m not worried about a damn thing.”

She blinks rapidly. “Okay then.”

“Okay then.”

Chapter 31: Sam

I refuse to be a blubbering mess two days in a row. Tommy’s words in his room were so simple and sure and his kiss before we left was soft and tender. He already reads when I need reassurance, when I need to be seen, and when I need time to process.

“Are you ready?” he asks, one hand on my waist, the other on the top of the saddle.

Which is strapped firmly to a horse. I asked him to check it. Twice.

I look down at him from the steps, which is an odd feeling.

“She’s truly the best horse for a new rider.”

The horse in question is standing pretty still, like she would wait as long as I need until I feel ready. But I was raised to not make others wait, so I reach out and put my hands on the saddle.

“Oh my.”

The horse gives a little huff. It doesn’t feel judgmental, but since I haven’t spent time around horses, I could be wrong.